Nicole Mathewson
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Nicole Mathewson
@nicolemathewson.bsky.social
56 followers 94 following 27 posts
Day dreamer, animal lover, hot chip addict
nicole.mathewson@press.co.nz
Chief news director at thepress.co.nz
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nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day: www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
Prosthetic leg saves disabled puppy
Faced with the decision to euthanise or return it to the breeder, Fernanda Bentley came up with another option.
www.thepress.co.nz
November 21, 2025 at 10:32 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Long neck, big journey: Kevin the giraffe sets off on road trip north
It’s not every day you get stuck behind a giraffe on the highway — Kevin’s heading north from Orana Wildlife Park, and this curious traveller might just poke his head out to say hello.
www.thepress.co.nz
November 11, 2025 at 7:12 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day: www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3608...
‘Precious bunnies’ stolen from two Christchurch wildlife centres
A rare critically endangered breed of rabbit is one of several missing from Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, while six others have been taken from another animal education park.
www.thepress.co.nz
October 21, 2025 at 11:00 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
700 dogs, one crown: Canterbury hosts its hairiest showdown
If you spot a four-legged friend wandering the streets of Rangiora this week, snap a photo - you might just capture New Zealand's next top dog.
www.thepress.co.nz
September 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Latte clocks more than four years on the dog adoption list
Six-year-old Latte loves people, but has the unfortunate title of being the Dogwatch dog that has been up for adoption the longest - a whopping four years and three months.
www.thepress.co.nz
September 9, 2025 at 7:36 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
South Island pups take out NZ Top Dog titles
“Mobile counsellor” Koozer took out second place for top office dog two years in a row. This year he took out the top spot.
www.thepress.co.nz
August 29, 2025 at 6:58 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
A counsellor, fire investigator and rest home resident: NZ ‘Top Dog’ finalists announced
Koozer has taken on the role of “mobile counsellor” at Christchurch Airpark and is gunning for top dog in a job after coming second the past two years in a row.
www.thepress.co.nz
August 16, 2025 at 3:11 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Antihistamines and ‘extra wobbles’ at Christchurch’s cat cafe
Love cats but not the allergic reaction? That’s not stopping some Catnap Cafe visitors from enjoying some time with an off-balance moggy.
www.thepress.co.nz
June 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
The ‘oldest geckos in the world’ found in Canterbury
“They’ve existed on this postage stamp of an island since before the moon landing.”
www.thepress.co.nz
March 27, 2025 at 7:54 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Record bat numbers counted at Pelorus Bridge
Record high numbers of bats have been captured and tracked during an annual count of the vulnerable mammal.
www.thepress.co.nz
March 27, 2025 at 5:18 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
thepress.co.nz The Press @thepress.co.nz · Mar 17
The birds are under threat from cats, dogs, hedgehogs, motorbikes and people having parties on the beach.

‘‘People say, ‘why should we protect them, aren’t they everywhere?’ Well, no," conservationist Ailsa McGilvary-Howard says.

‘‘The dotterel is as much a Kaikōura species as the whales."
40 eggs hatched, just one chick survived
An appeal has been made to the Kaikōura District Council to help protect the banded dotterel/pohowera, which nests on the coastline.
www.thepress.co.nz
March 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Missing dog’s seven-week adventure ends in happy reunion
Kelly, the 8-year-old mixed breed mutt, went AWOL in Invercargill before making her way to Gore where she was enticed to safety by the scent of her owner.
www.thepress.co.nz
March 6, 2025 at 7:51 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Seagull Pit: ‘9th wonder of the world’
Google Maps has marked a desolate concrete site in central Christchurch as a must-see for visitors.
www.thepress.co.nz
February 22, 2025 at 7:03 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Cakes for fur babies get wag of approval
There’s no blowing out candles, cutting the cake or sharing a slice, but it’s probably for the best when it comes to Pupfetti Parties’ wares for man’s best friend.
www.thepress.co.nz
February 11, 2025 at 6:24 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
High hopes for threatened whio after release onto West Coast river
Seven young whio born in captivity have been released into a new habitat in the Moeraki valley, a project which will boost conservation efforts in the area.
www.thepress.co.nz
January 31, 2025 at 6:10 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
Critically threatened petrel given second home
A small group of Whenua Hou diving petrel have relocated to a new location in the hopes of restoring the critically-threatened birds’ population.
www.thepress.co.nz
January 29, 2025 at 2:01 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
The Press is hiring! We're looking for a Journalist with a hunger to tell the news that matters to Te Waipounamu, the South Island, in compelling ways both digitally and in print media.

We're also looking for a Senior Journalist keen to report on business, economics and infrastructure projects.
Careers
stuff.careers.hibob.com
January 21, 2025 at 2:29 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
‘Am I just watching an extinction?': One woman's decade-long vigil for an elusive bird
After yet another devastating breeding season for Kaikōura’s banded dotterels, a citizen scientist reflects on her decade of chronicling death, and what can be done to save the fragile species.
www.thepress.co.nz
January 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
A new place to paws: Meatworks cat finds somewhere to call home
A small black cat who captured the hearts of workers at Alliance Smithfield is settling into her new home after the plant’s closure.
www.thepress.co.nz
January 17, 2025 at 6:18 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day - An all-singing, all-dancing robot is joining the hunt for the elusive South Island kōkako.

www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3605...
University of Canterbury students Will Maxted, left, and Sam Taylor work on their model kōkako.
December 31, 2024 at 7:41 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
A true once-in-a-lifetime moment:

Wordle 1,290 1/6

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
December 30, 2024 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Nicole Mathewson
thepress.co.nz
If you are struggling to find your holiday cheer, take some time to reflect on just a few of the impressive people who have featured in The Press this year. www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3605...
Inspiring Cantabrians (clockwise from top left): Nick Inkster, Rhys Blissett, Phil and Sue Bagshaw, Vicki Buck, Brian Clemens
December 26, 2024 at 4:39 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day - The best animal stories in a dog of a year www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3605...
Sumatran tiger cub Cahya and mum Zayana at Auckland Zoo.
December 28, 2024 at 7:29 PM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3605...
Florence Ryan, 5, did not let recent hip surgery prevent her playing the role of an angel in the nativity story. She’s pushed down the aisle in a wheelchair alongside a sheep.
December 18, 2024 at 5:36 AM
nicolemathewson.bsky.social
Animal story of the day
thepress.co.nz The Press @thepress.co.nz · Dec 16
Dozens of dolphins put on a show for Birdlings locals as they breached along the shoreline, leapt out of the water and appeared to be closing in on baitfish. www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3605...
December 16, 2024 at 8:03 AM